Factory International

Artist Development

This is the place for artists to dream big – to start collaborations and develop artistic conversations not possible anywhere else.

About

At the heart of Factory International sits the engine of artistic ambition and experimentation. This is the place for artists to dream big and to venture boldly into collaborations and artistic conversations not possible elsewhere. At the festival we’ve pioneered many ways to support artists as they develop their ambitions, and with Factory International we will offer space year round for artists to stretch out, invent and evolve.

Over the coming years, we hope to offer more opportunities for under-represented artists here in Greater Manchester and the North, artists from the global majority, trans and non-binary artists, and artists who self-identify as disabled and neurodivergent. Together, our aim at Factory International is to become a new creative powerhouse, where our tomorrow is made stronger and brighter through new voices and new visions of the world.

Here to listen

As an organisation we’re saddened and appalled by the recent acts of violence on the streets of Greater Manchester and across the UK.

Factory International is here to provide support and space for all our communities, artists and freelancers in this incredibly distressing time. We’ll shortly be setting up online and in-person drop-in sessions for people who would like to gather together and share their thoughts without the risk of hatred.

If you would like more information, please don’t hesitate to contact us at heretolisten@factoryinternational.org.

Our Projects

  • Factory Sounds

    Making music in Greater Manchester or working in the industry? Factory Sounds is designed to support you.

  • Artist Takeovers

    With our takeovers we offer artists the opportunity to explore and experiment working at an epic scale.

  • Factory International Fellowship

    Our Fellowship supports artists at a transitional stage in their career to stretch their practice in different directions.

  • Artist Social

    Calling all artists across the city – come and meet fellow artists at our Artist Social hosted by Superlative

  • Global Creatives

    Are you an artist from outside the UK? Come and meet fellow artists

  • Artist Drop-in

    A casual meet-up for artists from across Greater Manchester and beyond

Submit a project

If you've got an idea, we're open to it. Propose a project for our Curatorial and Producing teams to review.
Find out more →

A new creative powerhouse

Some of our past initiatives at Factory International have included the Jerwood Creative Fellowship programme and Factory International Fellowship, Fellows Alumni, Creative 50, Creative Lab, Creative Call Out, Matchmakers, MIF Sounds and Introduction to Virtual Tools.

We're also a member of the Greater Manchester Artist Hub, a group of 14 arts organisations in the region that have supported hundreds of independent practitioners in the area. Since it formed in 2020, the hub has offered hardship bursaries to excluded freelancers, funding and training to early career artists and private advice sessions to local artists. Moving forward, Factory International will continue to be a key partner for Manchester Independents, which in 2021 provided over £100,000 of support to Greater Manchester artists to develop and showcase new creative projects throughout the city region.

In summer 2024, we're launching two new artist projects Global Creatives and Artist Drop-in.

Explore

Factory Sessions

Explore our Factory Sessions featuring alumni of the Factory Sounds programme.

Meet the Creative Fellows alumni

Audrey Albert

Audrey Albert

Yandass Ndlovu

Photograph of a man smiling, looking straight ahead. He has a beard and his shoulders are just visible; he wears a green checked shirt. In the background, advertising posters are visible but out of focus.

Vince Atta

A man with a beard and shaved head smiles towards the camera. He wears a cardigan and striped shirt. In the bottom left hand corner, the Factory International logo is visible.

Raheel Khan

A young man with a beard looks towards the camera. He wears a black hooded jacket and red lanyard. The Factory International logo is visible in the bottom left corner.

Corey Weekes

Case Study: Artist Takeover

A large group of people with their hands in the air stood in a circle around a clay installation – for the June 2024 Artist Takeover
Thinking about applying for our next Artist Takeover? Read about the experiences of two artist collectives – Jennifer Jackson, Rosie Elnile and Craig McCorquodale, and 54: Manchester
Read now →
  • Dancer wearing a red dress surrounded by dancers in black clothing in Free Your Mind

    Free Your Mind, the official opening production for Aviva Studios, the home of Factory International © Tristram Kenton, October 2023

    Invent a better tomorrow together

    A huge thank you to our extraordinary supporters and partners who support our mission to invent a better tomorrow together.

    As a registered charity, we work to grow our community of individual donors, corporate partners, and grant makers. Their support helps us make art accessible to everyone, transform lives through creative engagement, develop the next generation of diverse talent and power the future of the arts sector.

    Find out how you can support our work to use art as a catalyst for social change, creativity and innovation – both in Manchester and beyond

    Support us
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